In this issue: US House Ag Labor Working Group releases H2A policy recommendations. How produce farms in New York are adapting to increased labor costs. Sources for ag data from USDA Economic Research Service you can use for your next grant or business plan. USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) is accepting applications as well as USDA FSA farm labor housing loans and updates to other grant programs. Upcoming business programs.
Category: Business
The Bottom Line No. 2
Bottom Line No. 2, April 10, 2024. In this issue: Cash rent and custom labor survey and farm employee benchmark survey. Updated information about the resilient food infrastructure program grant is available. NY FarmNet publication to help guide retirement planning for farmers. Upcoming business programs.
The Bottom Line No. 1
No 1, March 27, 2028: FSA disaster loans are available in Clinton and Essex counties, research-based tips for getting more $$$ from U-Pick customers, a new NYS DOL portal to identify and hire asylum seekers and an upcoming webinar with details about hiring asylum seekers on your farm April 5th. Also in this issue, there are many open grant opportunities for farms open this spring and a list of upcoming farm business webinars.
Calculating Break-Even Price or Sales Volume, or how will I know when the price is too low?
Every farmer has faced a scenario where they wonder if it’s worth planting or harvesting a crop. Knowing the price you need to receive or the volume you need to sell at a given price (or some combination of the two) can be helpful in determining whether or not an enterprise is likely to be profitable. A cost/volume/price analysis is the method that you can use to do this calculation.
Farm Employers Can Now Hire Asylum Seekers for Work
In the fall of 2023, the U.S. government granted Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelan migrants. As a result, many of this group now are authorized to work in the U.S. with a document called an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). New York state has established a website where employers can register their interest in finding and hiring asylum seekers.
Real Property Tax Exemptions for Farm Employee Housing
New York State real property tax code allows several exemptions for farm buildings. This provision also exempts new and reconstructed farm employee housing.
New York Employers Must Post Pay Rates in Job Ads
As of September 17, 2023, New York employers with 4 or more employees must post pay information and a brief job description in any advertising about a job, promotion, or transfer opportunity for a job to be performed in the state.
Use the New I-9 to Document Authorization to Work
A new year brings a good opportunity to remind employers that there is a new version of the U.S. government’s “Employment Eligibility Verification” form, better known as I-9.
Resources to Minimize the Language Barrier
At the 2024 Becker Forum in Syracuse, hosted by the New York State Vegetable Growers Association, farm owners requested some resources from the Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development to help bridge the gap between language barriers. Below are some of the tools to help your workforce overcome some of these common issues on farm:
Overtime Tax Credit
Eligible farm employers will be able to apply for the Farm Employer Overtime Tax Credit starting this year to help offset the cost of the overtime premium. Both the state Departments of Agriculture and Markets, and Tax and Finance have set up webpages to help explain this new tax credit and how to apply for it.
H-2A Wage Rates & SOC Codes Explained
The 2024 Becker Forum was hosted by New York State Vegetable Growers Association on Monday, January 22, 2024. At the event, recent changes to the H-2A program were discussed in detail, including from U.S. Department of Labor’s senior H-2A administrator, Mr. Brian Pasternak. Mr. Pasternak shared incredibly important information with the audience, and I want to revisit a few key points here.
USDA’s Discrimination Financial Assistance Program
USDA’s Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP): In extreme brief, $2.2 billion is to be distributed to qualifying farmers and ranchers that experienced discrimination through the USDA’s Farm Loan Programs prior to January 2021. The deadline for applications is January 13, 2024. You can learn more about the program here: https://22007apply.gov/. The Windsor Group is the Read More…